Chapter 20: Danger

He Jueyun’s smile gave Xie Qimeng a massive sense of crisis. He felt like his brother had gone off the deep end. Or rather, his brain was about to break.

Right then, Qiong Cang turned her head inside the room and saw the two of them standing outside the door.

Her emotionless gaze stared deeply at them, giving them the distinct feeling of being watched.

She probably recognized Xie Qimeng. She deliberately lowered her chin, letting the light cast her features in a more sinister shadow, while curling her lips into a rather malicious, even slightly provocative smile.

She knew exactly how to trigger Xie Qimeng, and she succeeded.

A sudden chill ran up Xie Qimeng’s spine, choking back all the words he wanted to say.

His fear of Qiong Cang, built up over their long-term battles, had become like a fuse rooted deep in his heart. The moment he saw her in person, it hovered on the verge of short-circuiting.

He instinctively looked at He Jueyun, wanting his brother to see how creepy Qiong Cang was beneath the surface. No one who had met Qiong Cang in person ever thought she was anything but dangerous.

Yet, the latter’s expression remained completely calm, and he even gave her a polite nod.

He Jueyun had experienced that kind of look when they first met. Although his understanding of Qiong Cang was limited, he was convinced she was doing it on purpose. This was her way of playing a prank, a mischievous urge akin to teasing a child.

Except last time it was because he was late, and this time, it was aimed at Xie Qimeng.

While He Jueyun was thinking this, Xie Qimeng grabbed his arm and hurriedly dragged him away.

Qiong Cang’s gaze followed them for a moment before she looked away, bored.

The two walked to the end of the nearby hallway, where Xie Qimeng solemnly made He Jueyun stand opposite him.

Xie Qimeng placed a hand on He Jueyun’s shoulder and pointed at him sternly. “Do you think I’m joking with you?”

“This has nothing to do with joking. We just have different perspectives. Old Xie¹, Sanyao’s operations have their own requirements. It’s not as flexible as you think.” He Jueyun paused, then added, “Besides, I trust my own judgment.”

“Trust is exactly what I’m afraid of.” Xie Qimeng gave a bitter smile. “She seems to keep everyone at arm’s length, but that’s what makes her even more terrifying. Once she lets her guard down around you, you’ll think you’ve broken through her defenses. You won’t even realize when you’re being influenced by her. It’s her psychological tactic.”

He Jueyun said, “Aren’t you making her sound a bit too supernatural?”

“She is far more formidable than you think!” Xie Qimeng widened his eyes. “Haven’t you seen her acting skills?”

He Jueyun nodded with satisfaction. “Indeed, they’re quite good. Our 【Case Analysis】 is lacking exactly this kind of acting talent.”

Xie Qimeng was nearly driven mad with anger.

He let go of He Jueyun and stood in front of the balcony’s glass door.

The clear glass reflected his figure, his tightly knit brows clearly revealing his anxiety.

Xie Qimeng spoke in a heavy voice, “When Qiong Cang was working at A University, she was a true maverick. She was a specially appointed lecturer at A University, with no research pressure, and she didn’t usually advise many students. However, the few students she did personally mentor were none of them simple characters.”

“One of them was a serial killer who shocked the nation back then, and has now been sentenced to death.” Recalling this, Xie Qimeng still felt a creeping sense of dread. “He was an extremely vicious criminal, a complete psychopath. He had a high IQ and was exceptionally good at misleading the police. He committed crimes across multiple locations, seemingly without any pattern. Even now, we haven’t released the specific details of the case to the public.”

He Jueyun said, “I’ve heard of it.”

Xie Qimeng said, “Every time he committed a crime, he would clean the scene very thoroughly. However, he would deliberately leave behind something related to Qiong Cang at the scene.”

He Jueyun was stunned. He really didn’t know this detail. “Did he hate Qiong Cang?”

“No!” Xie Qimeng said. “He worshipped his teacher. Or rather, she was his religion! He did that to show he was killing on divine orders, and that god was Qiong Cang. If you had met him, you would understand just how disgusting he was.”

He Jueyun lowered his head in thought.

Xie Qimeng said, “There is another student…”

He Jueyun raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

Xie Qimeng said, “A piece of news that the media has been reporting heavily recently. It says that an underage murderer, after serving his sentence and being released, found the witnesses who testified against him back then and killed them one by one in revenge. In the end, he successfully escaped the police’s dragnet and his whereabouts are still unknown. Do you know about it?”

He Jueyun said, “Of course.”

The authorities had already been blasted countless times online because of this. You never knew just how excellent the netizens’ capacity for sarcasm could be.

“This one was also her student, and one she mentored for many years. While he was serving his sentence in prison, he corresponded with Qiong Cang three times a week. You could say he was personally trained by Qiong Cang.” Xie Qimeng’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably, so he raised a hand to rub his eyes. “When the police were hunting him down, the last call made from his phone was to Qiong Cang. The call lasted thirty-two seconds. I don’t believe Qiong Cang didn’t provide any help.”

He Jueyun half-closed his eyes, seemingly considering this.

Xie Qimeng thought he was taking it to heart and let out a sigh of relief. “So…”

He Jueyun suddenly pinched his chin and said, “What is this phenomenon called again? Dr. Fang Qi said it’s called the halo effect.”

Xie Qimeng snapped, “I’m being serious!”

“Solving cases doesn’t rely on coincidences, Old Xie.” He Jueyun’s face also darkened. “You are heavily biased right now. You know there is no evidence, which is why you’re resorting to this. Your behavior right now is unprofessional.”

Xie Qimeng said, “I just don’t want to see more tragedies.”

He Jueyun said, “Tragedies usually start with prejudice.”

Xie Qimeng said, “You have no way to explain those coincidences!”

“The reason coincidences are called coincidences is because they can’t be explained,” He Jueyun said. “There are already many uncertainties in the world.”

Xie Qimeng wanted to say more, but He Jueyun cut him off. “Old Xie, thanks for the warning. I’ll keep it in mind. I respect you, and I hope you respect me and my work as well.”

Xie Qimeng knew his friend’s character well. They both understood each other’s stubbornness. He hesitated several times before finally sighing in resignation, “Alright.”

He Jueyun said, “Feel free to look around. I have something to do right now, I’ll find you later.”

·

He Jueyun returned to the lounge. When he pushed the door open, Qiong Cang was still sitting inside.

Sensing his arrival, she kept her hand inside her bag and suddenly said, “Don’t move.”

He Jueyun froze in place, his gaze traveling from her arm down to the closed opening of her bag.

Then, Qiong Cang slowly pulled a bun out of the bag. With complete composure, she tore open the packaging and took a small bite.

This was their first meeting in reality. He Jueyun had originally felt a bit distant, even awkward, but now that feeling was completely gone.

“Heh.” He Jueyun let out a frustrated laugh. “Are you messing with me?”

“You hesitated because you actually suspected I was carrying a weapon,” Qiong Cang said. Her voice was crisper than in the game, but her tone was flatter. She found it amusing. “Even though entering Sanyao’s lounge requires passing through multiple security checks, making it impossible for me to bring in any so-called dangerous items.”

He Jueyun said, “I didn’t think that.”

Qiong Cang turned her head and stared directly behind him.

He Jueyun turned around as well. Sure enough, Xie Qimeng was clinging to the doorway, peeking inside through the crack. Seeing that he had been caught, he scurried away in embarrassment.

He Jueyun: “…” So much for being a tough, six-foot-tall man.

“He talks behind my back a lot,” Qiong Cang said, unscrewing a bottle cap. “I’m used to it.”

Perhaps because the Instance had lasted too long and she hadn’t eaten properly, she sounded a bit weak.

Seeing that the bread in her hand looked rather dry, He Jueyun asked, “Do you want to heat that up?”

Qiong Cang said, “No need.”

He Jueyun suggested, “There are plenty of pastries and candies up front. If you want something else, you can just order it and a chef will make it for you. The dishes and ingredients come from the restaurant downstairs, so they’re very fresh.”

Qiong Cang: “Yeah. The table is huge, I saw it. No need.”

He Jueyun studied her face for a long moment before adding, “It’s free. Just swipe your login card, it won’t cost you anything.”

Qiong Cang’s hand was instantly frozen by some mysterious, metaphysical force. She tactfully changed her tune: “Oh.”

Why was poverty in this world always so ready to bring tears to one’s eyes?

After a moment of silence.

Qiong Cang meekly asked, “Can I get it to go?”

Holding back a laugh, He Jueyun said, “In principle, no. But since you got a perfect clear, help yourself.”

Qiong Cang asked again, “When are you leaving?”

He Jueyun felt a sudden pang in his chest. Taking a deep breath, he extended his hand. “Let me introduce myself formally. He Jueyun.”

Qiong Cang gave his hand a perfunctory shake.

He Jueyun rarely experienced this kind of rejection. For a split second, he actually wanted to stay and talk with her forever, but he quickly came to his senses and realized that he would probably be the one suffering.

“Congratulations on clearing the Instance. You can leave at any time. However, we will have a follow-up interview later, so please keep your line open.”

Qiong Cang showed a bit more enthusiasm, nodding. “Okay.”

Walking to the door, He Jueyun used his authorization to send a text to the lounge manager, instructing them to provide Qiong Cang with packaging and delivery services. Then, he headed to his office to organize the data for this Instance, preparing to archive and close it.

Author’s Note:

Xie Qimeng: F*ck, that scared the shit out of me!

Qiong Cang: Hehehehe~

Translator’s Notes